From Pep Guardiola (left) to Mark Hughes (right) there was plenty to talk about in the Premier League over the weekend.
Composite: Rex/Shutterstock, Getty Images

1) Guardiola’s men could establish dynasty

On they go, refusing even to the consider the possibility of lowering their untouchable standards. Manchester City were at their elegant best against West Ham and the way they have performed since being confirmed as champions a fortnight ago must bode well for next season’s title defence. Nobody has successfully defended the trophy since Manchester United won three in a row a decade ago, but City seem to be developing the killer mentality that allowed Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams to rule English football for so long. Good teams win one trophy. But the great sides leave lasting legacies and Pep Guardiola’s quest for perfection means there is unlikely to be a repeat of the slumps City experienced after their titles in 2012 and 2014. “We didn’t celebrate the moment we were champions,” City’s manager said. “We celebrated over 10 months. Just being happy when you lift a title makes no sense.” Jacob Steinberg

2) Trio in doubt for Liverpool in Rome

Jürgen Klopp’s first port of call after Stoke City held Liverpool at Anfield was the medical department, where he was informed it would be a case of “wait and see” on Jordan Henderson (ankle), Joe Gomez (ankle) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (dead leg) before the Champions League semi‑final in Rome on Wednesday. Coming moments after Erik Pieters had escaped with handling Georginio Wijnaldum’s cross inside his penalty area, it was therefore no surprise to find the Liverpool manager in irascible form on Saturday afternoon. Liverpool require three points from two league games to seal a top-four finish, by virtue of a vastly superior goal difference to Chelsea, who they face at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, but Klopp is not expecting any help with penalty decisions. “There have been 10 or 11 situations when people have said afterwards we might have had a penalty but there’s always a reason to explain why not.” Andy Hunter

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3) Benteke and Palace need to talk

Christian Benteke will meet the Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish at the end of the season to discuss his future after a difficult campaign at Selhurst Park. The Belgium striker, a club record £27m signing, was ushered forward by his team-mates and coaching staff to convert a stoppage-time penalty in the 5-0 thrashing of Leicester City on Saturday, which should ensure top-flight survival, and register a first home goal in almost a year. “I’ve been through hard times this season – it’s the first time since coming to England where I haven’t scored like I wanted to – so I thought: ‘It won’t get worse, just go and take it,’” he said. “I’m under contract until 2020, I want to stay here, and I’m going to speak to the chairman and the club about what they want to do with me. Every end of the season you have to speak, to see the plan for the next season.” Dominic Fifield

Mamadou Sakho congratulates Christian Benteke after the Belgian scored his first goal at Selhurst Park in a year. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

4) Huddersfield must spring one last surprise

Last summer, as they prepared for Premier League life, Huddersfield spent over 10 times more than they had ever spent in a single transfer window, but their total outlay was still less than Chelsea spent on Tiémoué Bakayoko, Arsenal splurged on Alexandre Lacazette or Manchester City forked out for a substitute, Bernardo Silva. There is a chasm between Huddersfield and the elite clubs that cannot be bridged in a year, if at all. But Huddersfield will probably have to beat one of those clubs, or at least scrounge a draw, in a torrid final week of the season if they are to avoid falling into the relegation zone at exactly the wrong time. David Wagner’s men have excelled to stay above the bottom three so far and although they looked dejected after this home defeat by Everton, one last mighty performance against the odds is not beyond them. Paul Doyle

5) Hughes hopes to party like it’s 1999

Mark Hughes still remembers that mad May in 1999 when Southampton won their final three games to stay, in the end, comfortably afloat in the Premier League. The club’s former striker, and now manager, knows his team may need to discover similar form and harness the same kind of spirit if they are to avoid dropping into the Championship for the first time since 2012. “My memory of that time was that everyone was together,” Hughes said. “Everyone knew we were in a difficult situation and everybody stuck together – players, staff and fans most importantly, and that is what got us over the line then and let’s hope we can do it the same this time.” Trips to Swansea City and Everton will likely define which division they are playing in next season but their fate may yet go down to the final day of the season, at home against another former Hughes club, Manchester City. Ben Fisher

6) Granit looks a soft touch

There are many problems for Arsène Wenger’s successor to grapple with over the summer but the current manager has a shorter‑term matter with which to grapple: how to concoct a happy ending to his time in charge, starting with defeating Atlético Madrid on Thursday and reaching the Europa League final. Granit Xhaka, who is likely to start in the Spanish capital, once again demonstrated what a liability he can be in a vital position. The midfielder tracked back but then needlessly went to ground as Manchester United scored their first, was booked, and then could have been sent off, all before half‑time. That sort of performance has been typical of his time at the club, leading to doubt over his future at the Emirates Stadium. More of the same in Spain and Wenger can forget the dream send-off. Conrad Leach

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7) Burnley fans’ treatment of Bong

Football is as good a vehicle as we have for the discharge of inclinations that are best kept out of real life. But sometimes football is real life, at which point the rules change. Though it was not proven that West Brom’s Jay Rodriguez had racially abused Brighton’s Gaëtan Bong, Bong did nothing wrong in reporting what he believed he heard; on the contrary, he was brave to speak up. So for some Burnley supporters to jeer him during this 0-0 draw out of “loyalty” to Rodriguez, who was born in the town and started his career at the club, is not part of football’s charm and edge. Chris Hughton said: “I would have to say that I thought the reaction of the Burnley supporters towards Gaëtan every time he got the ball was shameful, I really do.” The Brighton manager added: “I certainly didn’t expect it here.” Daniel Harris

8) Foster asks for Moore at West Brom

Darren Moore has taken eight points from four games since succeeding Alan Pardew. Although he almost certainly became caretaker too late to rescue West Brom from relegation, Ben Foster is impressed. “Darren’s brought unity back to the team,” the Albion goalkeeper said. “He’s got us working for each other, it’s about respecting your team-mates.” The Black Country consensus is that Moore will not get the job next season but Foster hopes he might. “I’d like him as manager. He’s dead honest.” As Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey watches his hopes of a late England World Cup call wane, Albion’s Jake Livermore’s own claims for inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Russia are waxing. Newcastle’s Islam Slimani, meanwhile, borrowed from Leicester City, could face a retrospective three‑game ban for a petulant kick on Craig Dawson. Louise Taylor

Darren Moore has overseen a big improvement in West Brom since taking over from Alan Pardew. Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

9) Lambert right to bemoan lack of firepower

“If we had a little bit more at the top end of the pitch, and I’m not just talking about strikers, I’m talking about wingers as well, we wouldn’t be in the position we are in,” said Paul Lambert after watching his Stoke side frustrate Liverpool with a gutsy display to take his own personal record to six on the bounce unbeaten at Anfield. He has a point. Stoke have the second-worst defensive record in the league but that they have ended up finishing the season with 37-year-old Peter Crouch up front indicates the neglect shown towards an attack that only three years ago was one of the most exciting in the league. The sale of the combustible Marko Arnautovic was perhaps understandable but a failure to land a suitable replacement will be a major factor if the club, as expected, goes down.

10) Time for Carvalhal to release the handbrake?

Six league games without a win and Carlos Carvalhal’s Swansea’s revival has hit the buffers at the worst possible time. It is worth pointing out (as Carvalhal did after the Chelsea defeat) that Swansea are in a far better position now than they were when he took over in December. Carvalhal deserves credit for getting the club into a position where their fate is in their own hands with three fixtures remaining. Yet, judging from recent performances, the tactical system that helped start the turnaround – a three-man central defence – may not be the solution to get them over the line. Swansea, joint-lowest scorers in the Premier League, only threatened against Chelsea after Carvalhal released the handbrake in the final 20 minutes. Will the Portuguese be bold enough to do the same against Bournemouth, Southampton and Stoke from the start? Stuart James